


An Unexpected Kind Of Love

by Strawmari



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: Annie lowkey ships Brio, Concerts, Developing Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Mild Language, light spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:20:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24193462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strawmari/pseuds/Strawmari
Summary: For the Prompt-a-thon:JT gets tickets to a Phil Collins concert and needs to find someone to go with.
Relationships: Annie Marks/JT, Beth Boland/Rio
Comments: 23
Kudos: 65
Collections: Good Girls Prompt-a-thon 2020





	An Unexpected Kind Of Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [foxmagpie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxmagpie/gifts).



> Prompt: JT x Annie: JT gets tickets to a Phil Collins concert. Nobody wants to go with him, so he invites Annie. Annie has no idea if it's a date of if she wants it to be (she definitely wants it to be).
> 
> I hope no one minds, but there's a little Brio toward the end.
> 
> I hope you enjoy & thanks for reading!

**Win a pair of tickets to see Phil Collins live on June 10th!**

JT refreshed the page a couple of times to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him. 

Phil Collins announced the upcoming tour four months ago on Twitter and JT was waiting for Detroit to be added to the list of cities. Hell, he'd travel across Michigan if he had too. 

Everything was out of his price range when the tickets were released, and unless he wanted to live off ramen for the foreseeable future, he wasn't able to go. Between his rent and student loan payments, he was lucky if there was twenty dollars left over from his paycheck. 

So when he stumbled across a week long contest with his favorite radio station, The Detroit Beat, it proved luck was on his side. JT hadn't felt that good about anything since he used Ruby's address to get his nephew into a good school.

_"The little nerd just needs a leg up, that's all"._

JT was determined to win those tickets.

The rules were simple, all the listeners had to do was wait for a Phil Collins song to play and then be caller number seven. 

JT couldn't step away with the recent influx of customers. He needed to be there to answer their application questions, take money from the safe and print out payment receipts. So he moved the small radio from the breakroom to the left of the money verifier, that way regardless of what he was doing he wouldn't miss his opportunity. 

Noon struck as Do You Remember finished. JT waited for three whole beats and dialed the station's number. He waited and waited, only to be told he was caller number five and that he should try again the next day. So he did.

Take Me Home played during his lunch break and he tossed his chips, reaching for his cellphone. 

"Sorry, you're caller number two, thank you for calling".

JT sulked, sinking further into the break room's couch. There were three days left in the contest and he was making no headway.

He needed something good to happen that Wednesday. His morning started out by breaking up a fight between two older gentlemen. One man believed the other cut in line, in reality neither of them were in the correct space. "I'll kick both of you out of here".

Halfway through his final break, I Wish It Would Rain Down came over the speakers and getting those tickets would turn his whole day around. The hold music played on loop as the DJ went over the instructions one last time.

"Oh, so close. You're caller number six, please try again tomorrow".

"Fuc-".

He stopped himself when a woman and her son stepped inside, the bell informing him that it was time to get back to work. "Hi, welcome to Qwik Cash, how may I assist you today?".

"I need two hundred for his meds".

JT nodded, pulling a form from the back drawer. "Fill this out and I need proof of employment". 

Customers came from all over Michigan and for a wide variety of reasons, but nobody would interest him as much as Bunny did. Who else would rob the joint and steal forms so people wouldn't feel ashamed about borrowing money. Ruby truly was one of a kind.

▪︎

The DJ ran through the concert details, which arena it was at and what time it started, nothing JT hadn't already memorized. He readied his fingers, cracking his knuckles in preparation for the song to begin. Only he never got to listen because the girls walked in.

There was something off with their energy, he felt it when they reached the glass. He hadn't seen them in three months, not since they stopped by with their fourth attempt at their funny money. It went through fine and he assumed they were off living the big crime life.

His contest was put on the back burner when they asked for thirty grand. First it was for a home remodeling and then it was for a tear down, their fidgeting made JT want to know exactly what they were up to. What was that saying, curiosity killed the cat? It was a risk that he was willing to take. 

"It's for a hitman okay?" Annie replied, a little too loudly. 

Even if he wanted to, there wasn't anything he could do. Limits were set in place for a reason and there wasn't enough collateral in the world to cover his ass or his employers if it went south. Considering their luck they'd be in the back of the van in no time.

"Why don't you guys dust off those pretty OJ masks of yours?".

"Like I've been saying".

Of course Annie had suggested it.

"We're not going to rob your store, Annie" Beth exclaimed, tossing her hands out to the side.

"It would be so easy! I would do it myself if there weren't cameras".

Wait, hold up, those words caught JT's attention, "How easy?".

"Like, no security, in and out, it would take longer to fill up a slurpee".

JT thought it over, clearly Annie had put a lot of time and energy into this plan. "Like Lionel Richie easy?".

"I literally just need someone to hand the cash too that isn't me".

Uh, huh, it was settled. JT didn't have cash to buy the concert tickets outright and was having no luck with the contest. Day four was long over, vaguely remembering Dearborn being mentioned over the radio. There was only one day left and what were his chances? Slim to none. 

"Ok, I see.. I wish y'all would've led with that. I might be able to help you out after all".

"Really? Is there a different kind of loan?" Beth questioned, brows pinched in confusion.

They decided to do the robbery later that night. Annie volunteered to cover the assistant managers shift, stating the deliveries would be completed by then, it was to go off without a hitch. 

"Everyone on the floor" JT yelled, waving a knife wildly in the air.

Annie rolled her eyes, holding her hands up in front of her chest, "chill, it's just me".

"Give me that money, bitch".

Only she couldn't. There was a customer with a permit to carry inside the store, he was looking over their selection of Gatorade. The man wanted to be a hero and turned off the safety, pointing it in JT's direction. Shit, it wasn't supposed to go down like that.

His palms were sweaty and Annie couldn't inform the girls because she told the man she left her phone at home. She was doing everything in her power to get the customer to let him leave, reassuring that JT didn't get anything and all the cash was still in the register.

Ten minutes. Twenty minutes. Beth and Ruby couldn't hold the customers off anymore, something had gone wrong. They knew JT didn't go rogue, however they certainly weren't expecting their holdup to be crashed. 

"He seems sorry".

JT appreciated Beth stepping up and trying to defuse the situation, it's exactly what a boss would do. Maybe he'd consider going illegitimate for a while if he made it out alive.

"You have no idea".

He blacked out after Beth's phone distraction. All he remembered was sprinting out of the station, the gun going off in the background and that he ended up two blocks away at a nearby convenience store.

JT leaned against a bus bench, patting himself over to look for blood. There was none, what a relief. All he needed to do now was head over to Annie's apartment, their rendezvous point, and get his percentage of the cash.

▪︎

He saw enough movies to know he needed to lay low in case the feds were called, so he gave it a few hours.

JT could've waited until his lunch break, but then he'd have to go all the way across town and that was too much of a hassle for a few hundred dollars. 

It was six in the morning and Ben was with his dad, so he didn't need to worry about that. After a couple of knocks Annie came to the door and JT innocently asked for his cut.

Annie stepped aside letting him enter so her neighbors wouldn't hear. She put her hand in her back pocket and pulled out an invisible wad of cash, pretending as if she were counting bills.

"What the hell are you doing?".

She stopped, "Wait, what's 10% of zero again? Oh yeah, zero!".

"I believe I'm owed something for my pain and suffering".

Annie knew that confusion all too well, the one where they attempt a job but it's not done to completion. They had a similar issue with Rio when they fixed up Eddie. Lose a gang banger one time and payment is taken off the table completely. It wasn't a fair business, but that's how it worked.

"Yo! At least you didn't take a bullet like your girl".

"Bunny got shot?".

He was in complete and utter shock. JT assumed the bullet hit the floor or got lodged in a ceiling tile somewhere. Now he felt guilty. Here he was worrying about a concert while one of his friends was held up in a hospital.

▪︎

He clocked in for his Friday shift, it also just so happened to be the last day of the contest and JT didn't want to get his hopes up. 

The station played some oldies, alternative rock and then finally, A Groovy Kind of Love started to play.

He mouthed the lyrics, waiting until it reached the final verse.

This was it, he could feel it in his bones. God, that's what his grandma used to say when she believed it was about to rain. 

JT picked up his phone, slowly entering each digit until he reached the final eight in the phone number. It rang, he waited and then the DJ's voice sounded. "Congratulations, you're caller number seven and have just won two tickets to see Phil Collins. What's your name and where are you from?".

"JT, from Detroit".

The tickets would be in his hands by that weekend and that gave him six days to find someone to take. There were a couple people on his short list, then again how many of them had a blank schedule.

"And what are you doing on this fine day?".

"I'm supposed to be working".

The DJ laughed, "I'm going to put you on a brief hold, then come back to get your information".

Ok, JT might've oversold how many people listened to Phil Collins. Everyone he asked either had plans already or straight up refused to go, even when he reiterated that the ticket was free. His list was dwindling by the minute and it left the only three acquaintances he had left.

Beth was kind of intimidating and from what he gathered the hitman was intended for her ex-boyfriend. JT didn't want to be involved in that situation.

He would love to go with Bunny. Ruby was down to earth and they've been known to hit a karaoke bar every now and then. The problem was that she now required a scooter or cane to get around and their seats were in the upper section. He couldn't put her through all of that.

Then there was Annie and honestly, JT couldn't think of a good reason he shouldn't ask her.

Annie was cute, funny and would probably throw down if they ran into some trouble after the show. It was settled, he was going back to her apartment and checking if she was free on June 10th. 

He just needed an excuse. The knife from the robbery was still on his kitchen table, he could return that. Well, Annie said it was a knife, it was more like a utensil used for bagels. 

"Tell me you know Phil Collins".

"I saw a whole Netflix documentary about him".

Eh, good enough. JT reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the tickets. "You wanna go?".

"I knew you liked me best, wait 'till I tell Ruby".

He handed over one of the pages. Annie was technically his last resort, but if JT was being honest with himself he was kind of glad his friends wanted no part of it. "I'll pick you up, grab a burrito, let y'all duct tape me to a booster seat again".

Great memories.

How could she turn that down? She ran her fingers along the crease in the paper, "y'know what? Yeah".

"It's a date then".

JT left her alone with her thoughts and then Annie's eyes went wide, "date?!".

▪

She paced around the kitchen, then sat on the toilet for what felt like eternity, trying to determine whether or not JT had just asked her out.

It was a figure of speech, Ruby used to say it all the time when they made plans for ladie's night, but this was JT and she's probably only shared twenty words with him over the year. 

So why her? Did he not have any other friends? That didn't seem likely, JT seemed like he would be the life of the party. Was she his first choice?

She took a pause from dating after the whole Josh fiasco. He hugged her with both arms and ate off her slice of pizza, if that wasn't flirting, she didn't know what it would be called. He had a girlfriend - fiancee, how could she forget about his proclamation when she was at her lowest point. 

Annie found herself pulling a dress from the back of her closet, putting on some red lipstick and slipping a star barrette into her hair. She wouldn't be opposed to it being a date, ok, Annie was hoping it was one. JT was different from the usual dicks she went for, this could be good for her.

▪︎

They lined up in the queue, three rows right outside of the North entrance. JT studied the seating chart beforehand, believing that would bring them directly to the escalators. Annie wore sneakers just in case he was wrong.

He was wrong. The North entrance led them to four flights of stairs and she didn't plan on having a workout before the concert. Annie's legs were burning, they should've just walked around the building to the South entrance.

"This will be faster," Annie repeated his words from earlier that evening, stopping to adjust the back of her dress. 

"How 'bout a thank you?".

"Thank you….it's _so_ fast".

Annie wasn't sure either of them were keeping track of how many flights they completed, but they were both ecstatic when they were greeted with concession stands at the top. She needed water, no, alcohol sounded like a good option. Did they sell that there?

JT looked at the menu "nachos?".

"I'm just gonna get a beer".

He looked at her like she grew two heads when she pulled out her wallet. "You're not paying for a date, girl".

JT stepped up and ordered, having them pile spoonfuls of salsa on top of his nachos. It cost him a few extra bucks but it was worth it. 

He took a bite the second he stepped away from the stand, "en fuego, try it. The chip is a vehicle to get the salsa into your mouth".

JT scooped up a little on the chip and held it up to her lips, as if to challenge her to accept the food. She did and it was hot as hell. "En fuego, right?".

"Sì".

Annie couldn't help but notice that was the second time he mentioned a date. It almost gave her butterflies. A small smile formed on her face as she unintentionally replayed his words.

"You look nice" JT interrupted her thoughts, peeking up at the signs. They passed section 250 and still had quite a ways until they found the entrance that would lead them to their seats.

Annie subconsciously touched her barrette, "I always look nice".

There was a soft, "yeah" in response before he pointed to her left, "we gotta go through there".

They made it to their section 309 only to realize others had beaten them there. Annie went first and slid past them, closely followed by JT as they tried to make their way to the center of the row.

"Ya don't look bad either" Annie tried, raising her voice over the music, "the green stripes".

She cringed, she was starting to sound like Beth whenever Rio was around. He was dressed in his usual long sleeves, Annie urged herself to get it together.

Lady Gaga, Fall Out Boy and Train were amongst the artists played by the DJ as they waited. It still bummed JT out that he had a chance to win front row seats on day one and he wasn't caller number seven, at least he was there.

 _"Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day, and head back to the Milky Way?"_ Annie sang, jamming out to one of her many breakup songs. _"Na-na, na-na, na-na"._

There was no opening act and the crowd started to get rowdy the closer it got to 8PM. 

"What's the most underrated song?" Annie asked, the documentary she saw was mostly about his life and rise in the music industry, and sure it touched on a few of his hit singles, but she knew from experience artists always had hidden treasures.

"Can't Stop Loving You, a classic".

The lights dimmed and Phil Collins made his way onto the stage, a single spotlight followed him until he was seated. "Good evening".

Annie chuckled, seeing JT rush to pull his phone out of his jacket pocket. 

_Oh think twice, it's another day for you and me in paradise_

The crowd was singing along as the songs rolled on. It started with Another Day in Paradise, then came Against All Odds and Easy Lover.

He moved to another portion of the stage, waving to a couple people in the front row who had signs with declarations of love. There were a few stories about how he got started and the crowd hung on every word. 

Annie barely recognized any of the songs and wondered if she was the wrong person to tag along. That was until the next song started, it was so familiar, almost as if she heard it on repeat a hundred times.

_Cause you'll be in my heart._

_Yes, you'll be in my heart_

"Tarzan!" She blurted out, luckily the music was loud enough that no one heard her.

JT turned, "What?".

"Ben loves this song".

He did. When Ben was younger he would watch it over and over, even had a few of the lines memorized. Then in middle school he started to gravitate more towards comic books and superhero movies.

_I don't care what you say._

_I don't play the same games you play_

They made it to the ballad portion of the evening. People were swaying, a few holding their phones up as lighters. Annie decided 'what the hell' and joined in.

Collins exited the stage to a standing ovation and now they waited for the encore. The crowd was hyped, stomping their feet and yelling at the top of their lungs, "Phil! Phil! Phil!".

JT must've taken a million photos throughout the show. She knew he had a playlist from the night they kidnapped him, she just didn't know how big of a fan he was until tonight. 

The stage lights turned a shade of blue and the introduction to In the Air Tonight started. It was silent, the crowd hypnotized by every note the band played. 

Collins stepped back onto the stage and soon everyone's hands were raised above their heads clapping along.

He slowly sauntered to the back of the stage, taking a seat at the empty drum set.

_Well the hurt doesn't show, but the pain still grows_

_it's no stranger to you and me_

Annie brought her arms out in front of her, flailing them around as she broke out her best drum solo. JT joined in, reaching in front of her as if to hit an invisible cymbal.

_I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord._

_Well been waiting for this moment for all my life,_ _oh Lord_

There was a momentary pause as the band members switched instruments, and Annie knew the second the first tambourine hit which song was next.

_You can't hurry love. No, you'll just have to wait._

_Just trust in a good time, no matter how long it takes_

She snapped her fingers to the beat, only to look to her right and find that she was the subject of JT's video. "Stop, homie", Annie laughed, pushing his hand back in the direction of the stage.

Sussudio ended the encore and what a bop that was. It had everyone dancing around, which was a tad bit scary from the upper tier.

▪︎

JT walked her to her apartment door, "thanks for coming with".

"I had fun".

He started to lean in and Annie did what any sane person would do and closed her eyes, only to feel his lips on her cheek. "Goodnight".

"Good.. night".

▪︎

Annie had such a good time that she wanted to listen to the 'best of' cd JT bought. It was a gift to himself, but he let her borrow it because who didn't know all of Phil Collins's amazing discography?

She inserted the disk into her stereo as she attempted to clean up the living room. It was a bit of a pig sty and Annie wanted it spotless for when Ben came back home. She started with the pile of dirty clothes in the chair, then gathered the empty boxes of cheese-its from the table and she couldn't forget the vodka bottle wedged in between the couch cushions.

Can't Hurry Love was the first song to play and about five lines into it she froze. Without the distraction of everyone around her, the lyrics perfectly described both her and Beth's lives.

They both had rushed into relationships, Annie more so than Beth but still.

Annie knew Noah a whole four minutes before she was riding him in the storage room. All it took was a couple nice words about her deserving more than a menial job at Fine and Frugal. How stupid could she be? He was a cop for fucks sakes, there was no future there.

Oh and then there was Josh, good ol' Dr. Cohen. Out of all of them he's the one that pissed her off the most. He knew that Annie had her fair share of heartbreak and yet that didn't stop him from flirting with her, and yes, contrary to his beliefs that's what he was doing. He could blame Annie until the _chickens_ came home, that didn't change the fact that he did.

Maybe it was their childhood because Beth's marriage to Dean didn't have the most solid foundation. It was when they were heading back with Sara's brownie troop that Ruby dropped the truth behind her sister's decision. 

There were some things Annie remembered from childhood, her mom refusing to leave the bed after their father up and left them being one. Beth felt obligated to step up to the plate and got a job. One time Beth even stole their mom's car to go to the grocery store because the cupboards were bare, that's the fateful day they crashed into Ruby's trash cans. 

It turned out Beth shielded her from a lot of it and Dean offered her stability which is why she stuck with it. She sacrificed for Annie, she settled for herself and sure, Beth had love for Dean, but that wasn't enough for his cheating ass.

Five times he cheated on her, five! Oh, how Annie wished Beth made like a praying mantis and bit off Deansie's head. Disgusting little bug.

Then there was Rio.

Annie walked back over to the stereo and hit the repeat button, letting Can't Hurry Love fill the room once more.

Dean put her through a lot and they couldn't stand to watch Beth question her self worth, not when she was the baddest bitch they knew. It was different with Rio. He challenged her, encouraged her and most of all accepted Beth for who she was.

_Just trust in a good time_

_no matter how long it takes_

Beth deserved love and Annie wanted to help make that happen for her, even if a gang leader wasn't the ideal guy and he wanted her dead just as much as he wanted her alive. What did Annie know? She wasn't the one boning him on the daily. 

_"I'm back, gimme ten minutes and I'll stop by the spa"._

_"No...uh, Rio's here. I'll talk to you tomorrow"._

Annie wasn't dumb, all those late nights at the spa were code for hook ups, but she'd pretend like usual until Beth fessed up. When she confessed to it being more than one time at the hitman's prompting that honestly surprised Annie, all along they thought it was one and done.

If only they'd stop trying to kill each other, unfortunately the song didn't have any helpful tips on that.

Dance Into the Light started playing and Annie stopped cleaning all together, there were too many dance tracks.

▪︎

Annie made herself comfortable on the stool, swirling wine around in her glass. They were having an impromptu ladie's night, complete with brownies and the bachelor reruns. "He's not my boy, okay and homie didn't even call".

"I'm surprised JT didn't leave you there".

"Ha! Funny!".

Beth's phone buzzed against the counter and she quickly made her way to the laundry room to grab a duffel bag. That could only mean one thing, Rio was on his way over. 

"See, even gang friend calls after they bone".

Beth didn't talk to them about it, but they knew that she was worried Fitzpatrick would show up out of the blue and kill Rio. Would it be in the restaurant's parking lot? In the middle of his shower at the country club? That wasn't what she wanted anymore, they were better now. Beth even tried to cancel the hit three times, but he never responded.

_"I don't do jilted lovers. Clients have regrets, they start talking and before you know it, I have to dispose of everyone involved. And on my own dime no less"._

Annie got an idea to play cupid. See, every drop off was the same. Rio would come in with a bag of single bills and leave with his cut of the washed product, it was like clockwork. 

That night with JT made her realize that good things were out there and that if someone was willing to wait for it, it would eventually fall into their hands. 

"Hey, mama".

Beth met him at the doorway, not even bothered that he casually let himself in through the kitchen. "Your cut".

Their eyes were on each other, both occasionally glancing down at the other's lips, space practically non existent between them.

"Dean's at a conference".

"Is that right?" his tongue darted out, wetting his bottom lip.

Annie couldn't take the tension anymore. She grabbed her phone and searched for the song that spoke to her the most, turning up the volume to full blast, startling Ruby.

_How many heartaches must I stand, before I find the love, to let me live again._

_Right now the only thing, that keeps me hanging on, when I feel my strength, ooh, it's almost gone_

_I remember mama said, "you can't hurry love_   
_No, you'll just have to wait"_   
_She said, "love don't come easy_   
_It's a game of give and take"_

Annie wouldn't have had the courage to do so if not for the two glasses of wine she downed earlier in the evening. It was silly, they obviously cared about each other.

_"When does it get to mine?"._

_Rio searched her face, "when does what get to be yours?"._

Heat rushed to Beth's cheeks, "I..I'm sorry about her".

"Nah. See ya tonight, Elizabeth".

Rio squeezed her arm as he passed and Annie squealed, "he likes you!".

"Could you not?" Beth flushed, peeking out the window. There was a high chance Rio heard her sister and the last thing they needed was to be back on his bad side.

"No more wine for her," Ruby decided, taking a hold of the glass. "He could still shoot us".

Annie reached over taking her drink back, "Us, yeah. _Elizabeth_ , never".

▪︎

Annie brushed her teeth and made herself a bowl of cereal. It was one of the few meals she could make without burning down the apartment complex, Ben's words, not her own.

There was a blinking light on her phone when she got back to her room, it was from JT.

"Had fun! There's another concert in Grand Rapids" attached was a screenshot of an upcoming contest. The Hits 92.8 was giving away three sets of tickets to Phil Collins in September.

Annie smiled, a text was a modern day phone call. "Yea, I could move shit around".

JT's reply was almost immediate, "You free for lunch? I could go for a burrito".

It was a date. He confirmed it this time.


End file.
